


Physical Therapy and Popcicle Sticks

by Nocticola



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Gen, Nathan's Trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-04-24 09:03:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19170073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola
Summary: In March 1983, newly Troubled Nathan gets a new physical therapy method.





	1. Chapter 1

Nathan Wuornos is getting his one month check up since his sudden onset of idiopathic neuropathy. His arm has healed from the crash, and in many ways Nathan is a model patient. It still breaks Eleanor Carr's heart to see such a sad 7 year old. She's just glad Nathan doesn't know the whole story. The poor boy has already been through too much. 

Eleanor tries to think of a way to make Nathan feel better. 

"Do you like popcicles?" 

Nathan looks confused by the question. It's still winter, no one is really eating popcicles or other types of ice cream this time of year. 

"Yeah..." Nathan let's his answer fade away because he doesn't understand what Dr. Carr means by her random question. 

"What if I told you you could eat all the popcicles you want and that would be part of your physical therapy?"

"In winter? But it's cold." Now Nathan is even more confused. That boy might not feel anything but he certainly has expressive eyebrows.

"Well, you can't tell that is cold. Which I know you know is a good thing. And people should take advantage of the little things like this." 

Nathan doesn't seem convinced.

"Nate, you've been dealt a rough hand. Taking advantage of not being able to feel things like cold might be a good strategy to dealing with it." 

Nathan still isn't convinced, "But why popcicles?" 

"They taste good, don't they? Also the sticks make for good material." 

Now Nathan's curiosity is piqued, "Material?" 

"Yes, you should come up with hobbies that let you help keep your dexterity. Popcicle sticks make for great art material."

"But what would I make?" Now Nathan sounds intrigued.

"Well, first you probably need a lot of popcicles. Then you could do whatever you wanted. I'm sure your Mom has handicraft magazines with suggestions."

Nathan clearly starts making plans in his head and at least it gives him something else to think about. "Let's get you started on this," she tells him before leaving him alone so she can go get the lonely popcicle out of the hospital's break room freezer. She stumbled on it just this morning which is the only reason she even thought about this.

Nathan waits patiently and takes the popcicle with a quiet "Thank you." He does smile when he realizes that Dr. Carr is right: he can't tell it's cold, he just gets the taste. 

There's not much else she or anyone else can do for Nathan right now. The Troubles are still here for a while and all anyone can do is to try to cope. 

Nathan is almost finished with his popcicle when Garland comes to pick him up. Nathan looks startled at the appearance of his (adopted) father, but Eleanor knows how to diffuse these situations. 

"This is part of Nathan's therapy." 

Garland questions her sentence with his whole being before Eleanor continues, "He needs to try to keep his dexterity up, and we have chosen popcicle stick art as the first way to do that." 

Eleanor tries to smile calmingly. She knows things are difficult in the Wuornos household. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna make Dr. Carr a present," Nathan says, squeezing the now empty stick within his palm. Good thing those don't splinter. 

Garland shakes his head and then smiles, "Well, far be it for me to question the good doctor. C'mon, we'll buy you a box on the way home." 

Nathan's whole body relaxes and he has a smile on his face again. He gets up and buries first the stick and then his hands into his pockets and follows his father out of Eleanor's office. He used to be such a lively boy. The least she can do is let the boy have a little healthy snack every now and then. 

*** 

During his next check up Nathan comes bearing a present just like he promised. It's a small lamp made from popcicle sticks. It's a bit wonky and Eleanor is not quite sure it's safe to use but she loves it. 

"It's beautiful, Nathan. You really are quite the artist." 

"Thank you," Nathan smiles shyly. "Dad actually really liked it. He said I should do one for his office at the station." 

"That sounds lovely. I'm sure with experience you become even better. Did you feel like doing it helps with dexterity?" 

"Yeah." 

The rest of the check up goes well. Having a hobby seems to be really helping Nathan cope with his condition (Trouble).

This time father and son leave in a much better mood. That's the Haven way. Take joy wherever you can.


	2. Nathan does lamps

Ever since he got his condition, Nathan has felt like a freak. His classmates, his dad, the doctors, everyone says it to him, either with their words or in their treatment of him. The only ones who don't are his Mom and Dr. Carr. Dr. Carr isn't really a specialicist, but she's the only one that treats him as a kid, and sometimes he needs that. The other doctors haven't been able to give him anything more detailed than a vague diagnosis despite all their testing but Dr. Carr has known him his entire life and she knows what he needs. 

Which is why he is trying really hard to get his numb fingers to cooperate. He has been eating lots of popcicles over the past week, and with the help of his parents and some donations, he has enough to get started on his first project. He found instructions for a lamp made of popcicle sticks and thought that would be the best thing to start with. Or maybe not, but it's what he wants to do. If only his damn fingers wanted to work.

The floor of his room is littered with popcicle sticks and various types of glues and Nathan is starting to be finished with the foot of the lamp. His Dad promised to take him to hardware store after he gets off work so he can get the thing you put the lightbulb in and the electric cord but that's until a few more hours from now. His Dad is surprisingly OK with this. Maybe because at least it's some type of wood. He's pretty sure that he wouldn't accept knitting as a hobby no matter how it might help Nathan with dexterity.

It also keeps Nathan mind off other things. Fighting with his fingers to get them to press one stick to another, trying to figure out which parts of his hands are too glued to be of help, it lets him concentrate on something beyond his defective body. Because his body can still make things. He can't feel the glue or the lamp or the cold of a popcicle(or his mother's touch, the softness of a random dog) but he can still affect things. He's still real. And this lamp is a testimony to that.

He starts working on other parts of the lamp so that all of it will be properly dried by the time he can start adding the technical elements.

When it's still half an hour until his Dad comes home when the parts look like they are done. They are not perfect but it's still looks pretty good for a first effort.

He leaves it all to dry before going to the kitchen to wash his hands and then digs up a Benjy's ice cream. It will give him another stick for later and it's a change. He sits on the couch watching whatever is on TV.

When his Dad gets home, Nathan is actually happy to see him. He shows him what he's managed to do with the sticks and what he'll need from the hardware store and his Dad actually seems interested. Having a semi shared interest will help them get along better probably.

After they home and Nathan manages to finish the lamp and he gets it to actually work, he feels very accomplished. It's quite small and wonky but it works and it's something his numb fingers accomplished. He feels proud.

He starts planning and gathering the sticks for the lamp for his Dad's office at the station the next day.


End file.
